Deaf Lawyer Among 13 New Cook Judges

February 22, 1995|By Andrew Fegelman, Tribune Staff Writer.

Theodore Burtzos spent the last couple of days trying to verify the milestone, but he can now confidently declare that he is the first deaf judge in Illinois history and perhaps only the second in the country.

Burtzos, a 46-year-old veteran prosecutor from Arlington Heights, was among 13 judges whose appointments by the Illinois Supreme Court to fill Cook County judicial vacancies were disclosed Tuesday.

The list also includes Jeffrey Arnold, the longtime chief administrator of the court system under former Chief Judge Harry Comerford. Arnold's departure had been expected after Judge Donald O'Connell was elected to replace Comerford.

Also promoted were Associate Judge Harvey Schwartz, the supervising judge of Traffic Court since November 1990 and former prosecutor Kenneth Malatesta, who ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic candidate for Cook County state's attorney in 1992.

In fact, of the 13 appointments, seven are either former public defenders or prosecutors in Cook County, continuing the court's practice of relying heavily on those offices to fill vacancies on the bench.

For Burtzos, who had been a deputy supervisor in the appellate division, the appointment to the bench was his second first in as many months: In January, he became the first deaf prosecutor in the state to try a case.

"For me, it's an honor and it gives me a chance to show handicapped people that just because something happens, it's not the end of the world," Burtzos said. "These guys on the Supreme Court have guts. I think there is an element of risk involved. Everyone will second guess them if I flop."

Burtzos lost his hearing in 1986 to a inner ear disorder that cut short his career as a trial attorney at the time.

Two years later, doctors offered some hope when he underwent surgery to receive a cochlear implant, a device that allows him to perceive sounds.

He now hears by combining the impulses from the implant with lip reading. As a judge, he will also be aided by a device that instantly translates a court reporter's notes into text on a monitor.

Eight of the new judges, including Burtzos, are being appointed to serve in subcircuits for terms that expire Dec. 2, 1996.

Judges elected from subcircuits must customarily live in the district in which they serve, but the Supreme Court can bypass that requirement in filling vacancies.